HAROLD LINNENKOHL should think less like an engineer and more like a Georgia taxpayer who wants to know where the new roads are going and how many public dollars are being spent.

Unfortunately, the commissioner of the state Department of Transportation believes that controlling access to public information about one of Georgia's biggest spending departments will improve communication. He's wrong. That's akin to saying all traffic should be funneled onto one or two highways because the road system would be easier to watch and maintain.

Mr. Linnenkohl, according to published reports, has decided that only the commissioner and designated DOT spokespersons can share information with the media - which basically means the public. Department heads, district chiefs and local engineers who know the back roads of Georgia like the backs of their hands must keep their lips zipped tighter than a one-lane bridge, or risk the wrath of their boss.

The commissioner says he wants to ensure that the public gets "a correct message, a consistent message and a timely message" from his department. That's what all Georgians want.

However, unless his department is loaded with incompetents (and it's not), then department heads, district chiefs and local engineers should be able to speak accurately and honestly when someone calls with questions. It's part of their jobs.

The commissioner is restricting the free flow of public information in a timely manner. What appears in his eyes as a conduit is really a muzzle. The commissioner should remove it. And if he won't, then the DOT board should tell him to remove it.